Hotchkiss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Hotchkiss was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman personal name Roger. Hotchkis was a baptismal name which is a pet form of Roger 1 as in "the son of little Hodge." 2
As the naming tradition grew in Europe baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honor of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.
Early Origins of the Hotchkiss family
The surname Hotchkiss was first found in Shropshire where the name "is a characteristic Shropshire name, and one especially numerous in the district of Church Stretton." 3 The first record of the name was William Hochekys who was listed in Shropshire in 1470. 4
Early History of the Hotchkiss family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hotchkiss research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1453, 1470, 1645, 1677, 1690, 1765, 1790, 1826, 1836, 1872 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Hotchkiss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hotchkiss Spelling Variations
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Hotchkiss, Hotchkis and others.
Early Notables of the Hotchkiss family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Herman Hotchkiss (1765-1836), an early settler of East Haven, Connecticut credited as founder of Fair Haven, Connecticut...
- Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss (1826-1885) was one of the leading American ordnance engineers of his day...
- He invented the Hotchkiss revolving cannon was a rotating barrel weapon invented in 1872 and later the Hotchkiss machine gun...
Hotchkiss Ranking
In the United States, the name Hotchkiss is the 5,124th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5
Hotchkiss migration to the United States +
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hotchkiss or a variant listed above:
Hotchkiss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Richard Hotchkiss, who settled in Virginia in 1635
- Samuel Hotchkiss, who landed in New Haven, Connecticut in 1638 6
- Adam Hotchkiss, who settled in New England in 1659
Hotchkiss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Hotchkiss, who settled in Maryland in 1775
Hotchkiss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Archibald Hotchkiss, aged 39, who arrived in Texas in 1834 6
- Rinaldo Hotchkiss, who arrived in Texas in 1836 6
- Charles S Hotchkiss, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
- Hotchkiss, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1895
Hotchkiss Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Benjamin K. Hotchkiss, who immigrated to America, in 1903
- Bella Hotchkiss, aged 40, who landed in America from Bothwell, in 1904
- Charles W. Hotchkiss, aged 48, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
- Anna Camilla Hotchkiss, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
- Charles E. Hotchkiss, aged 57, who landed in America, in 1919
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hotchkiss migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Hotchkiss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Miss Honorah Hotchkiss, English convict who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 11th February 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
- Charles Hotchkiss, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anglia" in 1851 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Hotchkiss (post 1700) +
- Jedediah "Jed" Hotchkiss (1828-1899), American educator, cartographer and topographer during the American Civil War who is generally credited for the Confederate General Stonewall Jackson's victories in the Valley Campaign of 1862
- Julie Hotchkiss Ph.D., American research economist and policy adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
- Rollin Hotchkiss Ph.D. (1911-2004), American biochemist and geneticist who established beyond doubt that DNA, and not protein, is the genetic material in bacteria and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Danish Academy
- Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss (1826-1885), American ordnance engineer, eponym of the Hotchkiss gun and the Hotchkiss School at Lakeville, Connecticut
- Cyrus Arthur Hotchkiss (1863-1941), American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Virginia, 1928; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Virginia 4th District, 1940 9
- Clarence Roland Hotchkiss (1880-1952), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oregon, 1916; Secretary of Oregon Republican Party, 1920; Presidential Elector for Oregon, 1920 9
- Charles M. Hotchkiss (1853-1927), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Cheshire; Elected 1906 9
- Charles E. Hotchkiss (1859-1944), American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Norfolk, 1912 9
- C. C. Hotchkiss, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Chautauqua County 1st District, 1935 9
- Asahel Augustus Hotchkiss (1799-1885), American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 17th District, 1863-64 9
- ... (Another 31 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Hotchkiss family +
- Mr. James Hotchkiss, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Mr. George Hotchkiss (1903-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Miss Ruth Hotchkiss (1906-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Mr. Harry Hotchkiss, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
- Ms. Laura Hotchkiss, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
HMS Dorsetshire
- Albert Edwin Douglas Hotchkiss (d. 1945), British Leading Stoker aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 11
- Mr. William Henry Hotchkiss, British Electrical Artificer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 12
- Mr. Charles Hotchkiss, English First Waiter from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 13
Suggested Readings for the name Hotchkiss +
- The Hotchkiss Family: Descendants of Samuel Hotchkiss (ca. 1622-1663) of New Haven, Connecticut by Nellie Cowdell.
- John Hodgkin (Hotchkin; also Hotchkiss) of Guilford, Connecticut and His Descendants by Geoffrey Brown.
Citations +
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ANGLIA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Anglia.gif
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
- Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
- HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
